"I'll Keep Persuading"… 53 Home Runs Last Year, 18 This Year, Judge's Wild Card Availability Undecided

Yankees slugger Aaron Judge took live batting practice and showed his willingness to play in the Wild Card Series. Manager Aaron Boone has been preparing to play without Judge, and the roster has not been finalized.

Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.

Summary in Three Lines

Aaron Judge took part in live batting practice on September 28 and said he will keep trying to persuade the club to let him play in the Wild Card Series.
The Yankees placed Judge, who injured his right calf, on the 10-day injured list on September 19, and no official announcement of his inclusion on the roster has been confirmed.
Wild Card Game 1 against Boston has been announced for 9 a.m. KST on September 30.

A year ago, Aaron Judge won the American League batting title with a .331 average. He hit 53 home runs. On September 28, that same Judge took live batting practice to check his physical condition. It was about a day before Wild Card Game 1 against Boston.

This year's numbers are completely different. AS and MLB.com report that his stats this season are a .241 average, 18 home runs and 41 RBIs in 66 games (as of 23:00 UTC on 2026.09.24). His batting average is down .090 from .331, and his home runs are down 35 from 53.

Season	Batting average	Home runs	Note
2025	.331	53	AL batting champion
2026	.241	18	66 games (as of 23:00 UTC on 2026.09.24)

Judge's Injury Timeline: Calf Injury Just 7 Games After Returning From Ribs

The first injury to stop Judge was to his ribs. According to an AP report, Judge went down again after playing just 7 games following his return from the rib injury. His career records list that injury as a fracture that kept him out of the lineup for more than 3 months.

The second injury is to his right calf. According to the Yankees' official transaction log, the club placed Judge on the 10-day injured list (a system for temporarily setting aside injured players) on September 19. The effective date was backdated to September 17. Adding ten days to the 17th, he becomes eligible to return from September 27. Game 1 is played two days after that.

Date (local)	Details	Source
September 17	Backdated effective date of 10-day injured list placement	Yankees transaction log
September 19	Placed on the injured list with a right calf injury	Yankees transaction log, AP
September 22	Manager Boone: "Planning on him not playing"	MLB.com
September 28	Took part in live batting practice, said "I'll keep persuading"	AP
September 29, 20:00 (Eastern)	Wild Card Game 1 against Boston scheduled	Official MLB schedule

Judge's Willingness to Play vs. Boone's 'Planning Without Him': A 6-Day Gap

Manager Aaron Boone said on September 22, in remarks reported by MLB.com, "We're planning on him not being a part of that." That means they are planning for him not to take part in the Wild Card Series.

Six days later, Judge pointed in the opposite direction. According to AP, he said, "I think I've done a lot of convincing, and I'll keep doing that." But in what CBS Sports reported on September 28, too, there was no official announcement confirming his inclusion on the roster.

Judge's $40 Million Salary… The Weight of One Spot on the 26-Man Roster

The Yankees re-signed Judge on December 20, 2022, to a 9-year, $360 million contract (MLB.com, ESPN). The contract runs through the 2031 season. In AP's Opening Day salary survey, Judge's 2026 salary of $40 million ranked 6th overall (as of 2026.04.09). That is $2.5 million less than the $42.5 million of teammate Cody Bellinger.

Rank	Player	Salary	Team
1	Juan Soto	$61.9 million	New York Mets
2	Cody Bellinger	$42.5 million	New York Yankees
3	Zack Wheeler	$42 million	Philadelphia Phillies
3	Bo Bichette	$42 million	New York Mets
5	Vladimir Guerrero Jr.	$40.2 million	Toronto Blue Jays
6	Aaron Judge	$40 million	New York Yankees

The postseason roster is 26 players. According to an explanation of MLB rules, a player replaced because of an injury during a series cannot play in that series or in the next one. If Judge were hurt again midway, that would cost him two series. And completing batting practice does not mean he can also handle right field defense and baserunning. That judgment has to be made separately.

The final roster had not been officially announced as of this check (18:00 KST on 2026.09.29). Game 1 has been announced for 9 a.m. KST on September 30. According to AS and MLB.com, Judge's appearances this year total 66 games (as of 23:00 UTC on 2026.09.24).

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Where is Aaron Judge's injury?

He went down with a rib injury this season, then hurt his right calf just 7 games after returning. The Yankees placed Judge on the 10-day injured list on September 19, backdating the effective date to September 17.

Q. Is Aaron Judge confirmed to play in the Wild Card Series?

No official confirmation from the club has been found. Judge took part in live batting practice on September 28 and said he wants to play. Manager Boone said on September 22 that they are planning on him not playing.

Q. How much is Aaron Judge's salary?

By AP's Opening Day survey, his 2026 salary is $40 million, 6th in all of MLB. That equals the average annual value of the 9-year, $360 million contract he signed on December 20, 2022.

Related Official Sites

New York Yankees Official Website — Check official announcements of the Wild Card roster and game schedule
MLB Aaron Judge Official Stats — Check season and career stats
Yankees Official Transaction Log — Check injured list placements and activations

Lead image · Archive photo · Not a scene photo from the current game in the article · Photo composite · Photo: Wikimedia Commons (a4gpa), CC BY-SA 2.0 · Photo: Wikimedia Commons (Matt Boulton), CC BY-SA 2.0